More Translations from the Chinese
Translated by Arthur Waley
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The opening
[1] THE GREAT SUMMONS
Green Spring receiveth The vacant earth; The white sun shineth; Spring wind provoketh To burst and burgeon Each sprout and flower. In those dark caves where Winter lurketh Hide not, my Soul! O Soul come back again! O, do not stray!
O Soul come back again and go not east or west, or north or south! For to the East a mighty water drowneth Earth’s other shore; Tossed on its waves and heaving with its tides The hornless Dragon of the Ocean rideth: Clouds gather low and fogs enfold the sea And gleaming ice drifts past. O Soul go not to the East, To the silent Valley of Sunrise!
O Soul go not to the South Where mile on mile the earth is burnt away And poisonous serpents slither through the flames; Where on precipitous paths or in deep woods Tigers and leopards prowl, And water-scorpions wait; Where the king-python rears his giant head. O Soul, go not to the South Where the three-footed tortoise spits disease!
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About this edition
- The words
- Arthur Waley's English translation, copied word for word.
- Copied from
- Left out
- The title page and opening pages before chapter 1
- A preface, foreword or afterword, in 2 places
- Notes and pages added by translators, editors or publishers, in 5 places
- The source library's header, footer and license
- Other material that isn't the author's
- Waley's biographical chronology, not a work by Po Chü-i
- Waley's biographical chronology for Po Chü-i (a sequence of life dates, following its 'LIFE OF PO CHU-I' heading)